I think, however, Jeff Hardy has reached the negative returns point of his career. The people were going crazy when Brock Lesnar squashed him. I don't think that's coincidence.

Also, it was not that long ago when people were referring to Jeff as the next Shawn Michaels. Obviously, people thought he had main event potential then. Just one year ago, people were complaining about the so-called glass ceiling when Austin and Triple-H squashed Jeff. Even at that point, people thought Jeff had real potential. Who thinks that now?

Mid-card dead weight helped kill the WWF's business in 1994-95. So they cleared it out and started anew. From the mid-carders of 1996 we got The Rock, Steve Austin, Mankind, and Triple-H. Why keep Jeff Hardy on the roster -- blocking somebody with potential -- because a few people dig him? I'm sure a few people dig Stephanie, too.

I would rather watch an Ally McBeal rerun than watch any match involving Team X-treme.....maybe Jeff Hardy could become the designated company whipping boy for all new talent to beat on in their debut. That I would actually watch.

The Hardy Boyz act has grown beyond stale and it would make sense to split them up...only then they'd have to cut promos and they are HORRIBLE behind the mic. Everytime they start talking I cringe. I feel embarassed watching them try cut a promo (that's why Edge & Christian did all the talking during their feud in 2000). And they have been well exposed at this point to be spot machines and good bumpers, but not much else. They are totally lost when they have to wrestle, and if they don't have someone to hold their hands through the match it comes out looking like a train wreck. And it's not like they are over right now, the loudest chant during the Hardy Boyz match was a "We Want Lita" chant.

So it's a damned if you, damned if you don't for the WWF. Keep them together, and it's a stale act that no one really cares about anymore. Split them and everyone sees them as sub-par wrestlers who an't cut a promo to save their lives.

I think there's still hope for the Hardyz, but a couple of things need to happen:

1- Jeff HAS to start looking just a bit more like a normal human being. They were at their peak of popularity when they looked different than the rest of the crowd, but still like someone who you might meet outside of some ecstacy fueled rave in a dank warehouse somewhere. Now he makes them seem downright creepy.

2- I don't want to say a heel turn, but they need some more edge. Right now they seem like a couple of club kids who wandered into the wrestling ring. Turn them into Mickey (and Mickey) and Mallory from Natural Born Killers. Make them a group of wacked out psychos who just attack anything and do it groups. Have Lita be sexually attracted to both of them at once, and imply that they all sleep together with anyone and anything.

3- Maybe add one more person to their group, male or female. I'd love to see them get Daffney, add her to the group, and just have them be these raving lunatics. Imply Lita and Daffney get it on when the boys aren't around. One more could help get over the strength in numbers that they need to get the idea to work.

Originally posted by spf2119 Make them a group of wacked out psychos who just attack anything and do it groups. Have Lita be sexually attracted to both of them at once, and imply that they all sleep together with anyone and anything.

dear SPF2119:

You, sir, are one sick puppy.

And I DIG that about you!

This is the solution, and it's so obvious I can't believe I didn't think of it before. Make them into a sick, sociopathic heel stable. Me like, me like ...

SPF, that's one hell of an idea. It'd make them watchable, and it would probably mean that we wouldn't be subjected to Poetry in Motion and the Swanton bomb so damn often. Of course, one of the problems with that scenario is that they're in the already heavily heel laden RAW.

But, hey, if they went to get across the lecherous side of Flair they can have this stable be taken under Flair's wing... Like he'll always try to get rid of the guys while trying to get on Lita and Daffney.

Like somebody already mentioned, Matt has some potential in him and actually has the look of a decent upper-mid carder to main-eventer, depending on who is at the top of the card by the time he gets his act togehter. The Hardy Boys tag team remind me a lot of The Rockers. The were both very talented teams with young guys who got the young girls into watching wrestling (I remember seeing a girl cry when she saw Michaels at a Boston Garden show). Both teams weren't all that great on the mic, but when given the right chance and the right gimmick Shawn Michaels was able to leave his destructive tag team partner behind.

It is a tougher situation for Matt, because it is his brother he is going to have to leave behind. For all that Jeff is doing, which will eventually turn all the fans off to him (not heel heat, just I don't give a shit heat). I think the glimpses of the heel Matt could've worked with a little fine tuning and some lessons in heeldom from Arn Anderson and Ric Flair. His thing is when the split between them really happens, can he sperate business matter and personal matters with his brother so that it doesn't do damage to him mentally.

Originally posted by spf2119Turn them into Mickey (and Mickey) and Mallory from Natural Born Killers. Make them a group of wacked out psychos who just attack anything and do it groups. Have Lita be sexually attracted to both of them at once, and imply that they all sleep together with anyone and anything.

3- Maybe add one more person to their group, male or female. I'd love to see them get Daffney, add her to the group, and just have them be these raving lunatics. Imply Lita and Daffney get it on when the boys aren't around. One more could help get over the strength in numbers that they need to get the idea to work.

Yes, because nothing gets over with wrestling fans like film noir and psychological drama. Note that even the wackiest of wrestling storylines are simple. The Moppy angle, for instance, implied sex between man and mop. However, the whole feud revolved around "you stole my girl (or cleaning appliance) and I want to hurt you." Vince Russo was all about the complex, swerve-filled storyline, and look where it got him.

Though, on the other hand, maybe the Hardyz can start their "natural born thriller killers" gimmick by hanging the Boss Man!

Palpatine, I would only ask what is a simpler storyline than "lunatics attacking people?" I'm not saying to bring in the discussion of media glorification of violence or any of the other Oliver Stone dissertations. I'm saying you take a couple of the younger members of the roster, and have them just be really anti-social to everyone around. And as for Russo, it got him to the top writing post in the wrestling industry, until his bad ideas outweighed the good. The idea of making the characters a little deeper, and blurring the good guy/bad guy line some is something which sadly has gotten a bad rap because he went totally off his rocker in WCW. The most simplistic feuds generally tend to be clunkers. The ones that involve a little bit of depth (Jericho wants to ascend to the top, and has to knock off Rock to get there, HHH/Steph/Angle, even Austin/Vince) and which all were far more nuanced generally than Moppy, or Bossman kills Pepper the dog tended to be the most successful ones with the crowds.

I honestly don't care WHAT happens to Jeff Hardy, as long as he shaves his head before his hair finally gives up and falls out from all those god-awful dye jobs. He's starting to look like a day-glo chemo patient.

Originally posted by Busyman14 So it's a damned if you, damned if you don't for the WWF. Keep them together, and it's a stale act that no one really cares about anymore. Split them and everyone sees them as sub-par wrestlers who an't cut a promo to save their lives.

-Alex

So why don't they give the dudes their walking papers, or at least ship them off to OVW or some place to work on their skills, particularly promo, and develop new gimicks. I don't think D'Lo, Sexual Chocolate, and any number of other guys who have been temporarily demoted were any worse than the Hardy Boy Toyz and She with Much Ink are at the moment. That of course is just my opinion. And it's right!

Originally posted by Triple Preperation HI don't think D'Lo, Sexual Chocolate, and any number of other guys who have been temporarily demoted were any worse than the Hardy Boy Toyz and She with Much Ink are at the moment. That of course is just my opinion. And it's right!

(edited by Triple Preperation H on 5.4.02 0204)

You're serious? Mark Henry is better than the Hardys? And what's all this garbage about Matt having more "potential" than Jeff? Is MATT now the "Shawn Michaels" of the group, while Jeff is Marty? You people need to make up your mind.

I see more raw charisma in Jeff than in Matt (Matt just tries TOO DAMN HARD) and I definitely enjoy Jeff's ring work better. I mean, Matt's "whip to the ropes into a...punch" offense is more sound, but...

I really don't see anything different about Jeff Hardy '02 and Jeff Hardy '00 outside of his hair color, and I do recall back then the Hardy's got plenty of praise all over the 'net. Oh yeah, and back then, JEFF was the Shawn Michaels of the group.

Originally posted by Joseph RyderI really don't see anything different about Jeff Hardy '02 and Jeff Hardy '00 outside of his hair color, and I do recall back then the Hardy's got plenty of praise all over the 'net.

Morons.

Well gee, genius, that the whole point. THERE IS NOTHING DIFFERENT ABOUT JEFF, AND HE IS STALE, BORING, PAST DUE FOR A CHANGE in something other than his hair color. Before you start throwing out brilliantly thought out, well crafted terms such as "Morons," you may want to actually pay attention to what the posts are saying so you don't make yourself look like dunderhead.

Maybe the problem is that the Hardy's used to be over-achieving underdogs, but over time they became accepted as legitimate threats. People like to latch on and cheer for underdogs, that was part of the original mystique of the Hardys. Now they're just one of the crowd. I think the WWF needs to give the fans a reason to cheer for the Hardy's again. They need a hot feud with somebody, anybody. It seems like forever since they've done anything that would make the fans care. Beating randomly paired up tag teams on a weekly basis is not exactly the most compelling what to keep a team hot. If anything, the Hardy Boyz current lack of appeal is more the result of a stale tag team division than it is to them or their gimmicks.